Chief Of Russian Rights Regulator Detained On Fraud Suspicions

The head of a Russian organization dedicated to protecting authors' rights has been detained on suspicion of fraud.

Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk said on June 28 that Sergei Fedotov, the director-general of the Russian Authors Society, had been detained after being interrogated in a fraud case.

According to Volk, Fedotov, who has not been formally charged yet and denies any wrongdoing, is suspected of taking part in a scheme to steal society assets, namely more than 500 million rubles ($7,655,000).

On June 27, Fedotov's office was searched and he spent the night at the Moscow's Central regional police department.

Fedotov's lawyer, Denis Baluyev, said on June 28 that a local court will decide soon if Fedotov will be released or sent to pretrial detention.